Apparatus for cleaning stirring-rods



C. B. DUTTON. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING STIRRING RODS.-

APPucATloN FILED JULY 3, me.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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UNITED STAT APPARATUS FOR `CI'JEANINGT STIRRING-RODS,

Application ledv July 3, 1916. VSerial No. 107,451.

To all whom. t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. DUTTON,

residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,citizen of the United States, have inventedor discovered certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning Stirling-Rods, of-

which improvement the following is a specification. i

n the practice of what is known as the Rittman process carbon is formedin Vconsiderable quantities, especially when producing unsaturatedhydrocarbons, as benzol, toluol, etc. This carbon accumulates on theinner walls of the Rittman tube so rapidly and in such quantities as tonecessitate the employment of means of removing the carbon from suchwalls. An eliicient means for preventing an accumulation of carbon onthe walls of the tube, consists of a rotating rod arranged axially inthe tube and furnished with a plurality of flexible members as shortlengths of chain arranged at suitable intervals along its length,adapted not only to break up but also to scrape the carbon'from thewalls of the tube as the rod is rotated. This form of stirring rod isshown and described in an application of C. C` Stutz, filed May 20th,1915, Serial Number 29366.

lt yhas been found that the carbon will adhere to this rod and thechains, and the chains will become embedded in the carbon and be nolonger effective. Rods free from carbon are then substituted for theclogged rods, and the carbon removed from the lat.

ter. This removal of the carbon by chisels and hammers is a tedious andlaborious operation, and also involves the loss of considerablequantities of carbon which` is a valuable product.

The invention describedherein has for its object the subjecting of aclogged stirring rod to the action of a multiplicity of small rapidlymoving bodies, which will not only strike with sufficient force to breakup the adhering coating of carbon, but will also drag or scrape alongthe rod, thereby acting more efficiently in removing the carbon. Theinvention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed. l

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, Figure1 isl a sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention andshowing a clogged rod in position to be cleaned; Fig. 2 is a sectionalelevation, the plane of section being indicated by the line yII-I, Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Tn' the practice of the invention, a` stirring rod 1 which has becomeheavily coated and clogged with carbon in a Rittman tube,

is withdrawn therefrom and placed in posispeeifieation of LettersPatent.' Y Patented Apr, 5, 1921,

tion in bearingsy 2 and 3 in achamber ,4 Y

having a suitabletop 5. The lower step or bearing 3.of this rod iscarried on the upper end of the shaft 6 which is driven by a suitablemotor through interposed gearings 7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. One ormore shafts 8 are arranged vertically within the boX or case,substantially parallel with the axis of the stirring rod to be cleanedand are supported'by bearings 9 and 10. The lower bearings 10 arecarried on the upper ends of shaftsv 11 which are driven throughintermeshing gearings 12 fromrthe power driven shaft. lt will beobserved that as the gears `on the vertical shafts -11 intermeshdirectly with the gear in the vdriven shaft, the rods carried by theformer shafts will be rotated in a direction opposite that of the rod tobe cleaned. To these cleaning shafts are flexibly connected amultiplicity of small balls or bodies 13, preferably of metal, so thatwhen the cleaning shafts are rotated, these balls will be thrown out bycentrifugal action and will strike against Y the opposite rotatingstirring rod, which is arranged intermediatethe cleaning shafts.

The ieXible connections 14 between the cleaning shafts and the balls aremade of such a length, that when'i'n extended position, due to thecentrifugal action, the balls will strike against the stirring rodY atpoints distant from the axis of the stirring rod less than one-half thediameter of the latter, so that in addition to the breaking up anddislodgment due to the blows of the balls or other bodies, the latterwill be dragged along theV surface and thereby scrape the material,asdcarbon, from the surface of the stirring ro The carbon is dislodgedfrom the stirring rod and drops .down on to a chute 15 whereby it iscarried outside of the inclosing case.

As shown inv Fig. 3, the cover is made of secf tions each section havinga bearing for the upper ends of the cleaning rods and also for thestirring rod. When a stirring rod is'to be cleaned the middle section isremoved,y

the rod lowered into position and the cover replaced, the upper journalof the stirring rod passing through the bearings inv such section. Y

I claim herein asmy invention:

l. In ann apparatus for cleaning stirring rods, the combination of meansfor rotating the rod to be cleaned, a shaft arranged substantiallyparallel with thev stirring rod;

' means for rotating said shaft and a plurality of balls flexiblyconnected to the shaft at suitable intervals along its length kandadapted to impinge against the stirring rod 1 on therotation of theshaft.

2. In an apparatus for cleaning stirring rods, the combination of a caseor shell provided With bearings for the support of opposite ends of astirring rod, means for rotating one of said bearings, a shaft arrangedsubstantially parallel with the axes of the bearings for the stirringrod, means for rotating said shaft, and a plurality of balls, andflexible connections from' aV plurality of points along the shaft tosaid balls.

An apparatus for cleaning stirring rods comprising I neans for revolublysupporting a stirring rod in vertical position, a shaft arrangedsubstantially parallel With the rod, a plurality of hammer elementsflexibly at'- taehed to the shaft along its length and adapted toimpinge against the stirring rod upon rotation of the shaft, and meansfor revolving the rod and the said shaft in opA posite directions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto f' set my hand.

CLARENCE B. nUTfroN.

